A
mess (also called a
messdeck aboard ships) is an area where
military personnel socialize, eat, and (in some cases) live. In some societies this military usage has extended to other disciplined services eateries such as civilian fire fighting and police forces. The root of
mess is the
Old French mes, "portion of food" (cf. modern
French mets), drawn from the
Latin verb
mittere, meaning "to send" and "to put" (cf. modern French
mettre), the original sense being "a course of a meal put on the table"; cfr. also the modern Italian
portata with the same meaning, past participle of
portare,
to bring. This sense of
mess, which appeared in
English in the 13th century, was often used for cooked or liquid dishes in particular, as in the "mess of pottage" (porridge or soup). By the 15th century, a group of people who ate together were also called a
mess, and it is this sense that persists in the "mess halls" of the modern military.